The present invention relates to user interactive computer controlled systems for communicating haptic or tactile sensory-motor effects between network connected input/output devices.
The past decade has been marked by a technological revolution driven by the convergence of the data processing industry with the consumer electronics industry. This advance has been even further accelerated by the great advances made in the communications technologies which now enable the rapid transmission of vast quantities of data at speed rates that were inconceivable just a few years back. The result has been immense consumer and business involvement in communications, i.e. Internet driven enterprises and technologies.
In order to take fuller advantage of such resources and technologies, there is a need to make computer directed activities accessible to a substantial portion of the population which, up to a few years ago, was computer-illiterate or, at best, computer indifferent. Because of the capability of the computer to make all technological and professional functions more efficient and quicker, workers skilled in various technologies and professions, but of relatively low computer skills, must perform functions with the computer which only a few years back required skilled computer operators and technicians. Some of these functions may involve robotics and even robotic functions performed through a correlated combination of user inputs. As a result, the computer industry is applying a substantial resources into making the human-computer interfaces more friendly and comfortable for the user. Innovations are being explored in input/output devices. One significant area of such exploration is computer controlled time-varying recording and transmission of the effects of tactile sense organs such as the skin on the user""s fingers, hand, or other parts of the body. This has given rise to a rudimentary generation of haptic devices which are based upon such sensory motor effects. Thus far such haptic devices have provoked the greatest interest in computer games, remote surgery and to a lesser extent in the flying and driving of vehicles.
In the computer game field, haptic devices are used to create tactile sensory-motor effects in virtual reality functions and devices; U.S. Pat. No. 5,984,880, Lander et al.is an example of such a virtual reality application. U.S. Pat. No. 5,429,140, Burdea et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,165,897, Johnson are examples of medical applications of haptic sensory-motor effects. Haptic sensory-motor effects have been transmitted over communication networks, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,984,880 or U.S. Pat. No. 5,974,262, Fuller et al..
While haptic sensory-motor effects have been physically applied in a local environment or sensed and transmitted to be physically applied at remote location, little has been done in combining haptic effects from a plurality of remote locations as well as physically applying the haptic sensory-motor effects resulting from such remote combinations.
The present invention provides for combination of haptic sensory-motor effects developed at two or more networked remote locations as well as for the feedback between such remote locations of the effects resultant from such combinations. Thus, the present invention is operative within a communications network comprising a plurality of interconnected computer controlled terminals. The invention provides a system for communicating haptic sensory-motor states which comprises, within a local or first network terminal, the means for receiving data representing an original haptic sensory-motor effect transmitted from a second or remote terminal, for converting said received data into the physical haptic sensory-motor effect represented by said data, and for juxtaposing a direct manual physical haptic sensory-motor effect upon said physical haptic sensory-motor effect. The invention, thus produces a combined resultant haptic sensory-motor effect at the local or first terminal.
The system of the present invention provides for feedback of the resultant or combined haptic sensory-motor effect back to the second or remote terminal and then visa-versa from the second or remote terminal back to the first or local terminal. In order to implement such a mutual feedback arrangement, the first terminal further includes means for transmitting data representing said resultant first terminal haptic sensory-motor effect back to said second terminal. The second terminal further includes means for converting said data representing said resultant first terminal haptic sensory-motor effect into the actual physical haptic sensory-motor effect, and means for juxtaposing upon said actual physical haptic sensory-motor effect, a direct physical haptic sensory-motor effect represented by original haptic sensory-motor effect data. This produces at said second terminal, a resultant second terminal physical haptic sensory-motor effect concurrent with the resultant first terminal effect.
The means in the first terminal for converting the received data into the physical haptic sensory-motor effect may be conveniently implemented in a matrix of moveable rods, together with user interactive means for touching said rods, and means for selectively driving rods in said matrix against said touching means. Likewise, the means in the first terminal for juxtaposing the direct physical haptic sensory-motor effect may be implemented by means enabling said user interactive means for touching said rods to selectively apply forces to rods in said matrix in opposition to said means for driving said rods.
With a similar rod matrix arrangement in the second terminal, the means for converting the data representing the resultant first terminal haptic sensory-motor effect into the actual physical haptic sensory-motor effect may be implemented as a matrix of moveable rods, in combination with user interactive means for touching said rods, and means for selectively driving rods in said matrix against said touching means. Likewise, the means in the second terminal for juxtaposing upon the actual physical haptic sensory-motor effect, a direct physical haptic sensory-motor effect may be implemented by enabling said user interactive means for touching to selectively apply forces to rods in said matrix in opposition to said means for driving said rods.